Humana (HUM) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed their hold rating on shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a $250.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. ValuEngine cut shares of Humana from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Credit Suisse Group began coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. They issued a neutral rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Humana from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $276.00 to $270.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a buy rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $269.68.

Humana (HUM) opened at $265.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $38,330.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.93. Humana has a 52-week low of $203.36 and a 52-week high of $293.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.14 billion. Humana had a net margin of 4.55% and a return on equity of 16.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. analysts forecast that Humana will post 13.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 30th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Humana’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 28th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 9.59%.

In related news, VP Timothy S. Huval sold 1,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.04, for a total transaction of $340,027.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,557 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,484.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jody L. Bilney sold 7,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.89, for a total transaction of $1,748,616.06. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,901,304.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,115 shares of company stock worth $2,501,627 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUM. WFG Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Humana by 4.5% during the second quarter. WFG Advisors LP now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the third quarter valued at about $115,000. ClariVest Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the third quarter valued at about $144,000. Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. increased its position in shares of Humana by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. now owns 710 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. Institutional investors own 94.39% of the company’s stock.

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About Humana

Humana Inc is a health and well-being company. The Company’s segments include Retail, Group and Specialty, Healthcare Services and Individual Commercial. The Retail segment consists of Medicare benefits, as well as individual commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products.